Hannah’s eyes widened, suddenly a little starstruck at the sight of the glamourous woman in front of her. ‘Hello. Gosh. Lovely to meet you too.’ She hadn’t expected the head honcho to greet her.

Adrienne smiled, her green eyes crinkling as if she was used to the effect she had. With her thick auburn hair curled around her face she looked more like a model than a cook. She wore a long flowing burnt-orange linen dress that was saved from shapelessness by the brightly coloured apron covered in llamas that cinched it in at the waist. On her feet she wore jewelled flip-flops that flashed and glinted as she crossed the room to give Hannah a long and rather careful assessment, at the end of which she gave her a nod as if to say, ‘You’ll do’.

‘Was your journey a good one? You found us all right?’

‘Yes. It’s beautiful around here.’

‘That it is. We’re blessed.’

She pointed to a framed photo on the wall behind her. ‘It’s taken a lot of love and care, but it’s all ours.’

The photo showed a dilapidated, rundown collection of buildings around a small courtyard which Hannah recognised as the one she’d just crossed. Next to it was a large map with a boundary line picked out in yellow which she guessed was a map of the farm and its land.

‘Now, I’d love you to come meet your fellow cooks. They’re just treating themselves to a spot of tea and cake. We’re waiting on a couple more arrivals and then I’ll give you the guided tour of the farm and the gardens. If you leave your case here, I’ll have someone take it to your cottage. You’ll be sharing with one other person on the course.’

Hannah nodded. When she’d snagged the last place on the course, the choice of accommodation had been limited. A room in a two-bedroom cottage or a small single room sharing a bathroom in the hotel. Not that she minded – the description of the cottage, with two bedrooms, a lounge, and kitchen sounded delightful.

She followed Adrienne through a wooden-framed door at the back of the office into a big airy kitchen with Velux windows in the sloping roof, through which streamed bright sunlight. The centre of the room was dominated by long, solid farmhouse table around which several people were already seated.

‘Everyone, this is Hannah. I’ll leave you all to introduce yourselves. Hannah, help yourself to tea and there’s barmbrack. Or tea cake, you would say.’ With a wave she glided out of the room like a serene swan as if she had all the time in the world.